Electrolytic cell



v L. w. cHu. ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4,1917.

1 348,207, Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

AME

UNITE-DA STATEs PATENT ol-"Flcl-z.Y

LEWIS w. CHUBB, or EDeEwoon PABX; PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNon. 'ro wEsTrNG-HOUSE ELECTRIC"& MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL--VANIA.

ELEcrnoLir'rIc CELL.

' Application filed April 4, 1917. Serial N0. 159,657. v.

To' all whom t may concern.' l

Be't known that I, LEwIs CHUBB, a citizen ofthe UnitedStates, and aresident of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful' Improvement inElectrolytic Cells, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrolytic cells such as condensers, lightningarresters, rectifiers and the like, and it has for its object to providean improved electrode construction for cells of the character indicatedwhereby the space eflicienc cf the cell shall be as large as possible.his result is obtained, in general, by forming each electrode of a largenumber of separate ele-A ments of filming material, which may suitablybein the form of thin strips arranged in sideby-side relation and`fastened to-v gether by means of clamping rods'extending through thestrips and carrying spacing members for `maintaining the strips theproper distances apart.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a plan view, with parts shownin section andwith the cover removed, of an electrolytic cell providedwith electrode plates constructed invaccordance with my invention. Fig.2 is a side view, partially in elevation and partially in section, ofthe structure shown in Fig. l, the section being taken substantiallyalong. the line II-II, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fra mentary perspective viewshowing a modi ed form of electrode construction. Fig; 4 is afragmentary vertical sectional view showing the construction of theindividual electrodes composing the cell of Figs. 1 and 2 andtheirrelation to one another, the spacers in certain of the electrodes beingomitted for the sake of clearness, and the section bein takensubstantially along the line IV V, Fig. 2. Fig.

5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one corner of an electrodeconstructed 1n ac- .cordance With my invention.

The cell shown in the drawing comprises a container 1 preferablyprovided with a lining `2 of aluminum or other iilmin inert material andhaying a cover 8 rom which is suspended, byllmeans of vertical rods 4, aset of electrode lates 5 connected and supported in sets o Asbest shownin alternate plates of opposite polarity. My present invention 'isparticularlyy concerned with the construction of the electrode lates 5.

ige-1, 4v and 5, each of the'electrode plates 5 is made `up of a.Patentanug 1920:

considerable number of parallel strips .6 of v aluminum, magnesium,tantalum. orl other' filmlng material, the strips composing each'electrode being fastened together by means of transverse rods v7 .whichextend through perforations in all ofthe strips and throu h spacingmembers 8 which. are of such thic ness as to maintain the severalIstrips in properly spaced relation and which may suitably be of Atheoval form shown in Figs. -2 and 5 in order that they may offer as littleresistance as possible to the passagev of convection currents throughlthe electrodes. y l.

Each vof the electrodes 5 may be provided with ais many of thesupporting'rcdsas are required to assemble the electrodes in,rigid'relation I find that two such transl verse rods are sulicient-forelectrodes of ordinary slzes, one of the rods bein disposed near theends of the strips, as s own at 9-` in Fig. 1, and the other rod of the,same electrode being disposed somewhat farther from the opposite endsof the strips, as shown at 10. Plates constructed in this manner aresuperposed, as shown in Fig. l, the alternate plates being turned endfor end, so that thetransverse supporting rods associated with`,\theelectrodes of the same *polarityare -in vertical alinement and aredisplaced from the rods associated with the electrodes of thelotherpolarity.

The Aends of the supporting rods 7 are "screw-threaded and the ends ofeach` rod carry clamping nuts 12, which also serve as supporting lugsand are each provided with ai-transverse perforation 13 for receivingYone of the vertlcal suspension rods 4. As

shown, the'strips 6 are longitudinally bent in" order ,to yincreasetheir rigidity. The

vstrips may, however, be flat or bentother'- wise than' in-thi'ea mannershown, the spacers 8 being shapedfto conformto the selected y sha "e ofthestrips. j

ach of the vertical suspension rods 4 extends, as indicated above,through the openings 13. formed in the correspondingly;

located memberslpl2`associ=ated with one set of plates ofthesame'polarity.' These rods are'fprovided, at their lower ends, with,

flanges or nuts 15, upon which rest the lower plates of each set and the`plates are properly spaced apart by means of spacingk sleeves 16 whichsurround the rods l between the supporting members 12.` The rods 4extend through the cover 3 ofthecontainer and are provided with suitablenuts and washers 17 and 18' for securely fastening the rods to th'ecover of the cell. Terminal devices 19 are attached to two of the rods 4belonging to sets of electrodes of opposite polarity.

` extremeelectrodes coperate with one intermediate electrode only andtherefore requiresI -but one-half of thesurface area of the intermediateelectrodes.

By forming the electrodesatthe ends of the series of substantially halfthe superiicial area of the intermediate electrodes, uniformvcurrentconditions throughout the condenser are Obtained. Furthermore, straycurrents are avoidedI and any likelihood of the current seeking ametallic path between the end electrodes, such as otherwise some- .timesoccurs in electrolytic condensers where the container is of filmingmaterial or other metal, is prevented.

A splash-plate 20 .is preferably disposed just above the upper electrodeand may suitably consist of a sheet of aluminum in order that theelectrolyte may engage nothing buty film-forming materiaL As shown, thesplash-plate 20 is carried by suitable supports 2l attached to the sidesof the cell and 1s disposed below the surface 2 2 of the electrolyte,suitable openings 23 beingprovided for the supporting rods and thespacing sleeves. The arrangement of the splashplate 20 below the surfaceof the electrolyte results in effective damping of the movements of theelectrolyte'which are produced when the cell is violently agitated andthereby reduces to a minimum the strains set up in the electrodes whenthe4 cells are subjected to the heavy service which is met with, Vforexample, in electric locomotives.

A modified form vof electrode, shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, consistsof a continuous strip 22, of aluminum or other film- .ing material,wound' back and forth in closely adjacent folds and supported upontransverse rods 7 asin the structures shown in the other figures of thedrawing. This form of electrode `Infay be manufactured .veryconveniently by Aperforating a ribbon of. aluminum at the properintervals` to receive the rodsr 7 and forming. such vlengthwise bends inthe ribbon as may be desired to increase its rigidity, and then wlndingthe ribbon back and forth upon two ormore of the rods 7, suitablespacers 8 being placed between the folds of the ribbon. If desired, thetransverse rods 7 may be maintained 1n suitably spaced relation bymeans-of crossbraces for the like.

While I have shown and described certain forms of Velectrodeconstruction which l have found' t0 be advantageous in actual service,both on account of'simplicity of construction and yeffective utilizationof the space available within the cell, it is to b e understood that myinvention is equally applicable to many other constructions which may bedevised by persons skilled in the art to which my invention relates. Itherefore desire that the structural details herein set'forth be takenas illustrative only and not as imposing restrictions upon my invention,the scope of which is indicated `in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrode for electrolytic condensers, lightning arresters,rectiiers and the like comprisin a plurality of longitudinally bentstrips of lming material and clamping and spacing means, also of iilmingmaterial,

for holding the said strips together.

2; An electrode for electrolytic condensers, lightning arresters,rectiiers and the like comprising a plurality of longitudinally bentstrips of aluminum. and clamping and spacing means, also composed ofaluminum,

for holding the said strips together.

3. An electrode for electrolytic condensers, lightning arresters,rectiers and the like comprising a plurality of transversely bent stripsof aluminum disposed in parallel land side-by-side relation, aluminumspacing members disposed between the said strips and conforming to theshape thereof, a plurality of rods, each extending through the saidstrips and through one series of the said spacing members, aA clampingnut screwthreaded upon one end of each of the said rods and alsuspension member attached to the opposite end of each rod.

4. n' electrolytic cell comprising a container, a plurality ofsuspension rods, a plurality of superposed electrodes, each of whichcomprises a plurality of side-by-side rality of' adjacent electrodesseverally composed of side-by-side elements composed of filming stripmaterial', the strip material composing the end electrodes being ofsubstantially one-half the Width of the strip material composing theintermediate electrodes.

6. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality of electrodes, alternateelectrodes of which are connected to terminals of opposite polarity, theend electrodes each being of substantially one-halfthe superoial area ofthat of an intermediate electrode.

7 An electrolytic cell comprising a container of film-forming material,an electrolyte therein, and a plurality of electrodes the electrolyte,With alternate electrodes connected to terminals of opposite polarity,-

each outer electrode having a ysuperficial area of substantiallyone-half of that 'of an intermediate electrode.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day ofApril, 191

LEWIS W. CHUBB.

